Engine-starting device



June 14,1927. I 1,632,264

A. AVIS ENGINE STARTING DEVICE Filed April 1.8,11927 Mae 77% Auyudz A via At orney Patented June 14, 1927.

' UNITED stares PATENT oFaFioE.

AUGUST AVIS; OF MAIJANG, JAVA} DUTCH EAST INDIES.

ENGINE-STARTING rnnvaon.

Application filed April 18, .1927, SerialNu. 184,779,..and in the Netherlands June-16,1925.

The present invention relates to a starting device for a combustion engine arranged on a vehicle, which device is. provided with a frame displaceable vertically with relation to one of the axlesof the vehicle.

A similar device is already known in which the hor zontal, longitudlnal side bars of the frameare constructed at their inner .faces as toothed racks, the frame being brought into its starting posltlon by the en ,gineby means Of'OIlQ or more springs; but

- such device, .however, has the drawback that the axle in question .must be provided with a complicated toothed wheel with freewheel mechanism.

This invention resides in the provision of a starting device which :is simpler and theref fore is cheaper. Accordingtothe invention,

the frame is soar-ranged that it maybe displaced vertically and theuaxle .lsprovided witha single fixed toothed wheelor P1111011 :in sucha way that it maybe coupled either with the one or with the other toothed rack,

.the.single fixed pinion. constituting an important simplificationof the device. vFurfthermore, the adjustment may take placeaccording. to the. invention bycmeans of .a. 1'0- tatable camshaft.

An embodiment of the invention is. illustrated in theaccompanying .drawlng where- Figure 1 1sa top view. I Fig.2 is a side view with'the sp'ants in disengaged or mid-position, the axle appearing .in sectlon.

Fig. .3 is a sideviewwiththe partsin the position in which the spring is tensioned.

Fig.4 is a side view showing the position for starting.

Figs. 5, 6 and? are cross-sectionslofthe toothed rack taken. through Figs. 2,3and 4:, respectively.

Referring more particularly to; the draw ings, .1 indicates oneof the axles-of the vehicle, and 21a pinion fixed thereon. The

node is assumed to .be connected inthe usual way, through the transmission, with the engine shaft so that-the rotation of theaxle,

when effected in the ,manner presently eX- plained, may be transmitted to said sha'ft to start the engine if the clutch is in. [The axle extends transversely through a .frame 3 embodying spaced upper and lower horizontal racks and vertical members connecting the together, and thepiniQnS Q is disposed within this frame so that itniay be engaged with either rack, according as the frame is shifted vertically in one direction or the other. Normally, however, the parts are so arranged that the pinion occupies a mid-position with relation to theframe in which it is out of mesh with both racks; this position being illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5.

The frame- 3, in addition to its vertical movement, is mounted to slide endwisein either direction between spaced upper and lower guides l. beneath and along the latter of which extendsa horizontal shaft 6,.j0urnaked in fixed bearingsiti and provided with an elongated cylindrical cam or eccentric 7 Thiscam is maintained in constant engagement with the under side of said lowerguide by means of rings 9 which encircle .the' two guides, the intermediate frame and the cam,

so'that the rotationof the cam will :thus produce a bodily vertical. movement of the 'framean'd guides as a unit. In this way, the

rack I frame can be alternatively raised or lowered by turning the cam shaft 6 inone direction or the other, thereby wbringing either its lower or its upper rack into .mesh

silientpa-Wl or :detentfi whichwis designed to be hit by and to snap over the rear end member of the frame when the latter reaches the end of its: backward movement. The .cam

j'shaftfti is;preferably utilized to release this pawl fromthe frame, and for that purpose it is provided with a laterally projecting finger l1 which in the mid position of the I parts, rests against the pawl, as represented in'Figsnl and 2. A

The operation is substantially :as fol- 'lows:Starting with the v.parts in 'Fig. 2 position, and the {pini nQout ofmesh with both racks, and lssu jug thatthevehicle is N -i,.-. intmot on and in t it is vdlestred-to tension spring 10 to store up power therein, the handle 8 is turned slightly in a direction to move finger 11 away from pawl into the position represented in Fig. 6 and, at the same time, cause cam 7 to raise the rack frame and bring the, lower rack into mesh with the pinion, as shown in liig. 3. The pinion, being rotated by the axle l to which it is secured, then moves the frame back- .ward (to the right) until its rear member engages pawl 5, the click produced thereby giving notice of such engagement. Im-

' "mediately that occurs, the driver turns the handle 8 back to its originalposition in wlnch 1t stands upright (Fig. 5), in order to depress the rack frame and thereby release the'lower rack from the pinion, as otherwise the rearward movement of the frame would continue and its front end would strike against the pinion. During this movement, the spring 10 is stretched andis held in such condition by the engagement of pawl 5 with the rear end member of the rack frame, as represented in Fig. 3. V I

In order to start the engine, when the vehicle is at rest, the clutch is first of all thrown in to enable the rotary movement of the axle to be transmitted to the engine shaft, and then the handle 8 of the cam shaft 6 is turned from its upright or mid-position (Figs. 2 and 5) tothe position indicated in Figs. 4 and 7. This movement of the cam shaftcauses the'cam to pull the rack frame downward and thus mesh the pinion with the upper rack, while at the same time the finger 11 disengages the pawl 5 from the 'handle is operated in the manner above described to re-tension thestarting spring 10 and lock the rackframe in cocked position (Fig.

It is to be understood. that the angular movement of handle 8 (and, hence, of finger 1 l) from the mid-position of Fig. 2 to either s1de thereof is comparatively slight, being only about 45, as previously stated and as will beapparent from a comparison of Figs.

6 and 7 with Fig. 5. Due to that fact. and

to the resilience of pawl 5, the finger 11, in

-moving from its mid-position to its Fig. 7

position to release the pawl, will merely press back the pawl and will not pass beyond it; so that when said finger moves back to its upright position, the pawl will follow Thereafter, the

it and will be in position for a new engagement with and disengagen'ient from the frame.

This device is preferable to the usual electric starting devices because it is much cheaper and simpler; and for vehicles, such I. 1 as autobusses, which must often stop and start, and in whichthe accumulator may become discharged, the application of the invention brings special advantages.

The invention is not restricted to the precisedetails shown and described, as such details are only given by way of example.

I claim as my invention 1. An engine starting device, con'iprising an elongated frame mounted for both endwise and vertical movement and embodying spaced upper and lower horizontal racks; a shaft extending transversely through the space between theracks and provided with a pinion; a starting spring connected to one end of the frame for pulling it endwise in one direction; a spring detent automatically engageable with the other end of the frame when the latter has moved a predetermined distance in the opposite direction; a shaft provided with a cam which is permanently connected with said frame for positively moving it vertically in either direction, so as to bring either rack into engagement with said pinion and means operated by the rotation'of the cam shaft for releasing said detent.

2. An engine starting device, comprising an elongated frame mounted for both endwise and vertical movement and embodying spaced upper and lower horizontal racks; a shaft extending transversely through the space between the racks and provided with a pinion; a starting spring connected to one end of the frame for pulling it endwise in one direction; a spring detent automatically engageable with the other end of the frame when the latter has moveda predetermined distance in the opposite direction; a shaft provided with a cam which is permanently connected with said frame for positively moving it vertically in either direction, so as to bring either rackinto engagement with said pinion; and a projection on the cam shaft to engage and release said detent during the rotation of that shaft.

3. An engine starting device, comprising an elongated frame embodying spaced upper and lower horizontal. racks; spaced upper and lower horizontalguides between which said frame is arranged forendwise sliding movement; a shaft extending transversely through the space between the racks and provided with a pinion; a shaft ext-ending along the under side of the lower guide and provided with an elongated cam for action directly on that guide; clip means encircling said guides, frame and cam to impart a bodily vertical movement in either direction the frame to move it endwise in one direction When the pinion is in mesh With one rack.

at. An engine starting device, comprising an elongated frame embodying spaced-upper and lower horizontal racks; spaced upper and lower horizontal guides between which said frame is arranged for endwise sliding movement; a shaft extending trz'tnsversely through the space between the racks and provided with a pinion, a shaft extending along the under side of the lower guide and provided with an elongated cam for action directly on that guide; clip means encircling said guldes, frame and cam to nnpart a bodily vertical movement in either dlrection to the frame and guides as a unit When the cam shaft is rotated, so as to bring either rack into engagement with said pinion; a starting spring connected to one end of the frame to move it endWi-se in one direction When the pinion is in mesh with one rack; a

spring detent automatically engageable With the other end of the frame when the latter has moved a predetermined distance in the opposite direction; and means operated by therotation of the cam shaft for releasing said detent.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

AUGUST AVIS. 

